How to Ask Your Boss or Supervisor for Personal Time Off

Probably one of the hardest things you might find doing is going to your boss to ask for some personal time off. This is separate from your earned vacation time, it's for something totally different. This is hard because you don't want to end up making your boss think that you are just trying to get some time away from work and for no other reason. You want to be able to handle yourself in the proper manner when asking, so that you don't end up becoming one of the many job seekers out there just because your boss got the wrong idea.

When you realize that you are going to need some time off from work, it's a good idea that the reason comes off as being a credible reason for your request. Understand that it truly needs to be real. Don't make up something just to get off work. Your boss might be able to check it out and he could use it as grounds for dismissal if he thinks you lied.

It's a good idea that you make sure that you put your time off request in writing and make sure to date it as well. This will give you proof to back up the fact you were given permission from your boss, just in case your boss happens to forget the day or days you are gone. After all, your boss is human just the same as you. If you and your office use emails for schedules or you use calendars in an office program, make sure that you put it on the calendar as well.

As soon as you know the date that you will need off is when you should ask your boss for the time off. Don't wait until a day or two before. If you know far earlier than that, ask immediately. Last minute, unless it's a true emergency, can cause you a lot of grief from your boss later on down the road.

When you ask your boss is important too. The time of day is crucial when trying to get in your request. The better time of day you offer you will be more likely to get a more positive response. Unless you can't avoid it, you should try your best to not ask on Monday's. Your best bet if you can do it is to ask on a Thursday or a Friday. The work is winding down for the week and your boss should be under less stress.

What time of day you pick to ask your boss can also have an affect on his decision. The worst time of day is to approach your boss the first thing in the morning. You need to let your boss have time to settle in and check into what all needs to be done for the day. Your best bet is late morning hours or sometime right after lunch.

When you ask for the time off, make sure that you already have your work covered. Make sure you already have asked certain people to do some of your work while you are gone. Then when you tell your boss that certain people will be covering for you during the time you are gone, he is more than likely find it easier to OK your request.